Why do legitimate subscribers mark my emails as spam?

Occasionally, even the most careful and considerate email marketer will be hit with spam complaints. It is possible this will be simply down to the fact that the spam complaint button is more visible than your unsubscribe link, and the recipient will hit it to remove his or her name from your list.

Remember: People will only unsubscribe or hit the spam complaint button if your emails are no longer relevant to them.

The occasional spam complaint should not damage your ability to send. However, a sudden spike (even if that number is small) may result in your account being frozen. In such cases, good email marketing service providers will reach out to clients to help them examine why their campaigns are resulting in spam complaints. Others will simply close your account – no questions asked. This again raises the importance of selecting an email marketing service provider with a great reputation for support as well as solid technology.

If you do receive a significant number of spam complaints, even the most supportive of email marketing service providers may insist you remove some data from your lists or try to re-engage your subscribers. This might mean changing the way you opt in your subscribers from a single to a double opt-in strategy.

Email marketing is all about building and maintaining successful relationships. There is very little point in sending messages to people who do not want to receive them. In terms of how this may impact your list size, think quality, not quantity.